Dirty Little Secretshttps://www.corneredcat.com/dirty-little-secrets/Excerpt:. . . you have the added burden of thinking specifically about what it would mean to use lethal force against someone you once loved, or someone you used to be friends with, or someone who might even be the father of your own child. Maybe even someone you still love. That’s not an easy thing to think about. Yet think about it you must.

Take a yoga class weekly (at least monthly). No, I don't do it just for the scenery. I actually learn balance, relaxation (which is not natural), flexibility, breathing (which is not instinctive), and how to converse with vegetarians without offending them.

I highly recommend you take the MAG-20 Classroom course. This is half of the MAG-40 course. The other half is MAG-20 Live Fire. You should do it now, while Captain Massad Ayoob is still around to teach it.

Bank Robber Opens Firehttp://lawofficer.com/archive/i-learned-about-policing-from-that-bank-robber-opens-fire/ This lady's firing side forearm was shot at the beginning of the gunfight. She then presented her pistol from her retention holster, fired, cleared a malfunction, fired, reloaded, and fired with her support side hand only.Excerpt: . . . I used to be the first one to complain about having to go to the range or attend a training session. Today, I firmly believe training is the most important thing that will keep you alive. Without the constant practice of clearing a jam and quickly reloading a weapon, I probably would not have been able to effectively clear my weapon and perform the speedy reload I did during the gunfight.

25 Gunfighting Stats Learned From Convicted Cop Killershttp://www.tierthreetactical.com/25-gunfighting-stats-learned-from-convicted-cop-killers/Excerpts: 16 of 43 offenders had received weapons training(10 of those 43 were veterans of the US military.) [So, the other 6 had received firearms training in the private sector. Remember my previous blog post
on criminal organizations sending their people to you
for training? Be careful. Vet your students. -- Jon Low] Percent of legally acquired guns used by offender: 0% This fight is going to be won prior to shots being fired.

The same cartridge should not be loaded, unloaded, and reloadedmultiple times, as this can cause the bullet to get set back in the case (causing dangerously high pressures when fired), and it can cause the primer to crumble (causing the cartridge to fail to fire). Example web posting: https://www.corneredcat.com/a-slight-setback/

"Defensive Shooting for Real World Encounters" by Ralph MrozExcerpt: Every time I buy a new pair of dress shoes, they gostraight to the cobbler for rubber soles before I even wearthem. Even if I’m not carrying a gun while wearing them, Imay still get into an empty-hand self-defense encounter.. . . A lot of gun people wear runningshoes with their jeans and gun. This is a bad practice.Shoes designed specifically for running are constructed withthe outsole (the bottom sole) glued onto the shoe in such away that it accommodates running only. These shoes do notallow for side-to-side or pushing-off type motions. If you userunning shoes for activities requiring this type of motion—boxing, martial arts, etc.—you will sooner or later rip theoutsole off the shoe. I’ve done just that on heavy bag workouts.Further, running shoes usually have very tacky outsoles,making it easy to trip when moving sideways. Forcasual wear, then, stick to cross-trainers, tennis shoes, orbasketball shoes.. . . Food attracts insects, and money attracts human scum.Dress down, or at least conservatively and plainly. If youmust gratify your ego by impressing someone with yourmaterial wealth, have the grace and good survival sense todo so in private. A good example of this is holster maker JimMurnak, who lives in New York City. He doesn’t carry hisbelongings in a briefcase, but rather in a plastic shoppingbag. It’s not elegant, but it doesn’t attract muggers, either.. . . If you carry a gun, you must carry a flashlight. If youdon’t carry a gun, then you really have to carry a flashlight.If you’re not a cop the flashlight isn’t so much for tactical usein a low-light shooting situation or to search a structure with;it’s meant to blind an opponent by shining it in his eyes, andit’s used to scan potentially dangerous situations beforeentering them—such as approaching your car in a parkinglot. There are some excellent small, bright lights out there,such as the Sure-Fire 6, 9, and 12 series. Don’t buy a cheaplight—lumens count here, and a small, ergonomic size meansthat you will really carry it. Don’t leave home without one.. . . It’s only common sense that if you need corrective lensesto see, you’ll need them to shoot and fight. That lessonwas brought home tragically during the famous FBI Miamishoot-out, in which one agent lost his glasses early on in thefight and spent the time until he was killed looking for them.Count on losing your glasses during the first second of anencounter. If you need them to see or fight, then you’ll justhave to wear a retaining device (such as Croakies or Chums).That’s not particularly elegant or always convenient, butreally, what other choice do you have? To not do so is to foolyourself that you can survive.

"I get a surprising number of questions about stun guns. Quick answer? Worthless."-- Greg Ellifritz

You alone must clean your personal defenseweapon, load the magazine(s), or charge the cylinderand recharge the arm. Never, under any circumstances,allow anyone else to do any or all of these tasks. If thearm leaves your possession for any reason, you mustrecheck the system before using it. Trust me, I havegood reason for this absolute rule.-- Walt Rauch

I have always found that, without the requiemphilosophical overlay, merely teaching people a series ofpsycho-motor skills does little to enhance their survive-ability.To most of the “grass-eater” people, victimization,like cancer, is something that will probably get usall at some point. They resist thinking about it becausethey don’t want to go through the disciplined drudgeryof self-improvement. As trainers, we therefore mustspoon-feed them the hard, lumpy, bad-tasting medicineof truth.-- John Farnam

"Tactical Defensive Training for Real-life Encounters:Practical Self-Preservation for law Enforcement"by Ralph Mrozand "Defensive Shooting for Real-Life Encounters:A Critical look at Current Training Methods"by Ralph Mroz They are free online downloads. But, the web sites appear and disappear occasionally. So, if you can't find them online, send me an email and I will send you a copy in PDF format.

I have many Marine Corps buddies who are
enforcement agents who work for bail bondsmen. If you get arrested and use a bail bondsman to help you post your bail, don't run away. Of course, we good guys would never run away. But, sometimes people get scared and panic. So, let me explain to you why you should never skip out on a bail bondsman. When the bondsman appears before the judge, he can do one of three things: Give you to the court.
Give his money to the court and then chase others to recoup his loses. (bad outcome, because he will take your mother's house and leave her homeless) Give your death certificate to the court. Which do you think is easiest for the enforcement agent?

"People mistakenly assume that their thinking is done by their head; it is actually done by the heart, which first dictates the conclusion, then commands the head to provide reasoning that will defend it."-- Anthony de Mello

Rangemaster Newsletter February 2018http://rangemaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2018-02_RFTS-Newsletter.pdfExcerpt:According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there are currently over 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers in the US. The 66 murders of police officers represent a rate of one murder per 13,600 officers. On the other hand, last year there were at least 40,000 murders of private citizens. That is a rate of one murder per 8,000 citizens. Although police officers come into constant contact and frequent confrontation with armed, violent criminals, they are murdered at a rate FAR below that of the general population. Why? Because the police are ARMED. Be like them. Be armed.

Tom GivensFebruary 16, 2018 A.D. at 11:26amI have some ideas to prevent future school mass shootings. Here they are.1. Pass a law against shooting innocent children for no reason.Oh, I see, that’s already a death penalty crime in Florida.2. Pass a law against taking a gun onto a school campus.Oh, I see, that’s already a felony under Florida and Federal law.3. Pass a law against selling a gun to a mentally ill person.Oh, I see, that’s already a Federal felony if the person was adjudicated to be incompetent.4. Pass a law requiring a background check before being allowed to buy a gun.Oh, I see, that’s already a Federal law. Florida has a waiting period, as well.5. Pass a law making it a crime to lie about your status on the background check form.Oh, I see, that’s already a Federal felony.6. Do away with idiotic gun free zones and allows adults to defend themselves.That’s crazy talk!

Red Storm Rising!http://defense-training.com/2018/red-storm-rising/ Senator Joe Biden and the first President Bush are primarily responsible for gun-free-zones, as well as all of those who voted for the federal law. All mass murders occur in gun-free-zones. Because there is no one in the gun-free-zone with the tools to stop the bad guy.
The purpose of gun free zones is to create unarmed victims for armed
criminals to prey upon. This is used by liberals to advance their political
agenda, which includes criminalizing the behavior of their political opponents
such as gun possession.

"If you prepare for the emergency, the emergency ceases to exist!"-- Dr. Sherman House

***** Miscellany *****

Excerpts and comments on Ralph Mroz's books -- The first time you feel the painand disorientation of a good head shot should not be on thestreet when someone’s trying to kill you.(This is why martial arts training such as boxing is so important.) I have had several students shoot dogs whoattempted to kill them. You can tell the dog'sintention by the growl, as opposed to the bark. Since you have read Ralph's books, youmay be wondering why I don't carry OC spray. Pepper spray has a very strong affect on me. I have run into many persons on whom pepperspray has had no effect. So, I don't carry it.(If you spray someone, you can expect the wind to blow it back in your face.) Will, skill, and awareness. (The software.) The Boward County Sheriff Deputies lackedthe will to attack. So, they waited outsidewhile the bad guy killed the high school studentsand teachers in the school building. Training will give you confidence. Confidence will allow you to believe that youwill win. That belief will allow you toattack. The choice will always be yours. But, if you don't train, if you have noconfidence, you don't really have a choice.

If you would like the lesson plans for my NRA Defensive Pistol course, send me an email, and I'll send you the latest version. The lesson plans constantly change as I take courses, communicate with other instructors, and stay abreast of best practices.